Pressmeddelande från Sven Holmberg:
Today I have resigned as Chairman of the Jumping Committee and as Bureau member of the FEI.

My reasons go back more than a year; I did not agree with decisions that were being taken and in many of these cases I openly voiced a different opinion. Some of the decisions were in fact altered, but after lengthy and very expensive procedures.

More recently the recommendations and advice of the Jumping Committee have been disregarded or dealt with in such a way as to convince me that, for whatever reason or reasons, the Jumping Committee is not respected as the technical advisor on the discipline of jumping.

My heart, my knowledge and my passion are, and have always been, with the sport and I have been seeking to make it grow and develop both at the very top level and also at lower levels outside the core area. All who know me also know that my dedication is not limited to jumping only but includes all aspects of equestrian sport.

The politics and the power games currently played in the FEI, which unfortunately expanded last year, will not benefit the development of our sport. I find that in some aspects my integrity is being questioned. I no longer find it meaningful, or useful, to participate in the politics as a Bureau member.

My passion for the sport, my experience and my know-how will always be there and I will be continuing in my other roles.

Pressmeddelande från FEI:
Sven Holmberg, FEI Bureau Member and Chair of the Jumping Committee, has resigned from both positions with immediate effect.

Mr Holmberg, who became an FEI Bureau Member when he was elected as Chair of the Jumping Committee in 2005, became FEI First Vice-President the following year. He was re-elected as Chair of the Jumping Committee at the 2009 FEI General Assembly in Copenhagen (DEN) and was one of the three candidates that stood for the FEI Presidency last year, when HRH Princess Haya was re-elected to the post for a second and final four-year term.

“Sven has dedicated an enormous amount of time to the FEI in a number of different roles over the past six years and I would like to thank him sincerely for his devotion to horse sport and particularly to Jumping”, FEI President HRH Princess Haya commented. “His deep knowledge and understanding of the sport have benefitted the FEI enormously. I wish him well for the future.”

John Madden (USA), Deputy Chair of the Jumping Committee, takes over as Acting Chair with immediate effect. The position will be filled on a permanent basis at the General Assembly in November.

“I have spoken to John Madden today and look forward to working closely with him”, Princess Haya said. “He is a well respected member of the equestrian community and is well placed to lead the sport of Jumping going forward.”

CULPEPER, VA (February 18, 2011)—HITS, Inc. is pleased to announce that the 2011 HITS Culpeper Show Series, that takes place in the heart of Virginia horse country, will host a total of six $40,000 Grand Prix, five of which will qualify for this year’s Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix. In addition, HITS Culpeper will also host five $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix, all of which will qualify for the all-new Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final.

OCALA, FL (February 18, 2011)—Yesterday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, was the largest Grand Prix starting field ever at the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit. One of today’s brightest stars in show jumping, Kent Farrington riding Up Chiqui, owned by Alex Boone, William Dobbs and Farrington, beat out 48 starters to take the top prize in the class.

THERMAL, CA (February 18, 2011)—An outstanding start to the 2011 HITS Desert Circuit, combined with some absolutely fabulous weather in the Southern California desert, has made Thermal the talk of the winter circuits. In fact, demand for stalls at Thermal for the second half are so high, that yesterday HITS shipped an additional 1,000 tent stalls from its property in Ocala, Florida to the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California to accommodate the increased volume for the show.

If your're interested in what is going on around and behind the scenes at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington Florida, tune into WBZT (AM 1230) in the Palm Beaches, or around the world at DoversWorld.com or WBZT.com. to hear Equestrian Committee Chairman Mason Phelps dish the best of the best Wellyworld (and beyond) news, events, gossip, social scene and MORE!!

Flair, LLC makers of FLAIR® Equine Nasal Strips is pleased to announce its sponsorship of the 2011 PRO Rider Derby Cross Competition to be held on March 5, 2011 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, Wellington, Florida. The Wellington PRO Derby Cross competition will be held during Nation's Cup weekend - the most prestigious weekend of the Wellington Equestrian Festival.

FLAIR Strips – which support and protect the respiratory system of the hard-working equine athlete -- will be provided to all competitors and the company will sponsor a cross-country fence during the Wellington competition.

PRO Derby Cross is a hybridized form of interactive entertainment and sporting competition designed to showcase some of the best equestrian talent in the United States and Canada.

PRO Derby Cross Teams are comprised of five horse and rider combinations drawn from the worlds of Eventing, Show Jumping, and Polo. Each team is captained by an internationally renowned Eventer and filled in with two more Eventers, one Show Jumper, and one Polo Player- each a world-class equestrian in his or her own right.

Five Derby Cross teams will compete individually over a three-minute course designed by Olympic Gold Medalist David O’Connor. The course will ask horses and riders to be brave over the cross-country fences and accurate over show jumps all while competing against the clock.

HSBC has agreed a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI Classics™ until the end of 2013 and the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships™ in both 2011 and 2013.